Solo Scrambler Killed In Avalanche On Mount Lawson In Kananaskis Country While Descending From Summit
Mount Lawson, Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada – On May 23, 2016 a climber/scrambler went on a solo mission to scramble up Mt Lawson (2,795 m | 9,170 ft ) in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park in Kananaskis Country in Alberta, Canada. While descending from the summit, the victim was caught, buried, and killed in an avalanche on Mount Lawson.
The victim was from Calgary. He was reported overdue and Kananaskis Country Public Safety responded to the scene on Tuesday, May 24, 2016. The searched the area by helicopter and noticed tracks with avalanche debris nearby. They then began their search for the victim in that area.
According to MountainConditions.com, the victim triggered a size 2.0 loose wet avalanche on a NE aspect at approximately 2500 meters. The avalanche traveled 500 meters vertically and funneled into a gully feature. The victim was caught in the slide and buried in that terrain trap. Photos of the avalanche area can be seen here. A recent storm deposited up to 40 cm of snow in the area, which contributed to the unstable snow.
This is the 16th avalanche fatality in Canada this season.
We will try to update this post if more information becomes available.
See Also: 177 Global Avalanche Fatalities During Winter Of 2015/2016
Read more about the avalanche on Mount Lawson in Kananaskis Country, Alberta from these sources:
- Avalanche.ca Incident Reports
- MountainConditions.com
- HuffingtonPost.ca
- CBC.ca
- CalgarySun.com
- RMOutlook.com
- GlobalNews.ca
- AlbertaParks.ca
